


The Secret Service (Part 3 of The Reluctant Spy)

by catsg7



Series: The American Spy [3]
Category: Spooks | MI-5
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Harry hides a secret, Lucas is dishonest with Nyssa, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Murder Mystery, Protective Harry, Ros and Nyssa clash, mild violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-04-23 12:58:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14332953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catsg7/pseuds/catsg7
Summary: Nyssa's brother, Michael, arrives in London to work a con on a celebrity supermodel turned business woman. When the model ends up dead, Michael becomes the prime suspect. Nyssa takes on her own brother as a client and helps to clear him while trying to find the real killer. Lucas is working to find the identity of the mysterious faction that is targeting both him and Nyssa while Harry discovers that Nyssa is connected to an important top secret mission that he worked on over 30 years ago. Could the mysterious faction have something to do with that? How was he going to keep Nyssa safe and in the dark about everything at the same time?





	1. Working Together

**Author's Note:**

> This marks the third in my American Spy series. I do not own the characters of the Spooks/MI-5 series, just the original characters featured with them. My story picks up in the middle of series 7 and loosely follows the episodes in the canon. So, those who are big fans of the show will recognize some of the plot threads in the story. Also, my original characters are also inspired by another American spy series that was on television years ago. Some things might be very familiar as well. Please feel free to leave a review. I love hearing from my readers.

Nyssa sat in Jack’s Honda Accord trying (without much success) to explain the plan to the 19-year-old asset that MI-5 had turned to help track down the Al-Qaeda cell that was responsible for the market bombing a few months ago. He was the only bomber of the four (not including Ben Kaplan) that was captured alive without incident. As soon as CO19 brought him into the interrogation room of Thames House, he started to crack. When he realized that what he was doing was the real thing and not a rehearsal, he folded under the pressure. Apparently, life for him on this Earth was far more important than the 72 virgins in Paradise.

The boy, Josef, had contacted a member of the cell and scheduled a meeting. Harry’s team wanted to use this boy to lure the group out of hiding and try to get their hands on a bigger player in the game. They wanted to find the Mister Big that Marlin, Adam’s Pakistani asset, was referring to before he committed suicide in front of Lucas. 

Harry was already using Lucas and Ros for another operation, so the mission was dropped into Nyssa’s hands. Nyssa would lead her team along with Ben and Jo and try to find the safe house where the Al-Qaeda cell was operating. It was a simple enough operation. All they had to do was find out Josef’s contact, monitor the meeting, and follow the handler back to his base. What could possibly go wrong!

If only Josef could understand his simple role in the plan. Nyssa had spent a good half an hour trying to explain what he needed to do. Each time that Nyssa had to repeat herself, she thought back to her military days and wished that it was mandatory that every child in school must go through nine weeks of boot camp training like the army.

“Josef, I’m going to explain this one last time. Do you understand?” Nyssa asked speaking like she was explaining simple math problems to a seven-year-old.

Josef nodded his head but still seemed very nervous. Lucy sat in the front passenger seat of the car with her head leaned back and her hand over her eyes. She could already feel a headache forming.

“Okay, you walk toward the center of the marketplace where your contact said that he would meet you. You wait for him there. When you see him, you do what he tells you, and you walk away when the meeting is done. We will be watching you,” she said. “Is that perfectly clear?”

“So, I walk back to the car,” said Josef.

“No, you walk away after the meeting is done. Jack will follow your contact when he leaves the marketplace. You just walk away. Go home. Whatever. Do you understand?” asked Nyssa, the frustration in her voice was becoming evident.

Josef still looked very confused and nervous. Lucy lifted her hand from her face and turned in her seat to face him. She was getting as annoyed as her sister, but she tried not to express how much she wanted to choke the breath out of this kid.

“Josef, you talk to your contact, do what he says, and then you leave like we were never even there. Got it?” she injected.

“But, you will be there?” he asked again.

“Look, just don’t worry about us. You worry about what you need to do. Go meet your contact and walk away. Okay?”

This time Josef nodded his head like he understood, but Nyssa could tell that he was still nervous. They were losing precious time, and there was no other way to do this. Nyssa smiled and patted his shoulder before turning him out into the street. She had hoped that the gesture was enough to reassure him before she sent him out there, but deep down, she felt like this would not end well. No matter how simple the operation seemed to be.

Josef reached for the door handle but was so nervous, he had trouble leaving the car. Nyssa took a breath and calmly reached across from him to help him open the door. Once he was outside, he closed the door and stood by the car like he was contemplating what to do. When he finally walked away toward the marketplace, Nyssa let out the breath she was holding and dropped her head in her hands.

“This is such a bad idea,” said Lucy shaking her head.

“If you have a better idea, I’d love to hear it,” said Nyssa as she raised her head from her lap. Jack rested his head against the window glass looking bored.

“Remind me again why we are doing this, luv?” he asked.

_"We need to find the link to the Al-Qaeda cell. Josef is our best lead."_  said the voice from the comm-links in their ears. 

Jo Portman sat in a surveillance van a block away from the marketplace with a small team and Ben Kaplan. They had been listening to the conversation in the car and monitored Josef’s movements after he exited the vehicle. Ben left the van and started walking toward his planned position to watch the meeting as it took place. Jo smiled as she witnessed Nyssa prep Josef for the operation. She could relate to the frustration that Nyssa was feeling trying to prepare this kid. Everything was riding on him to follow the plan to the letter. Maybe Lucy was right, and this was a bad idea.

“Let’s just get this over with. We all have our assignments. Let’s get to it,” said Nyssa as she exited the car with Lucy. Jack drove around to the opposite end of the marketplace and parked.

The market was crowded as it was on the day of the bombing. The service managed to thwart the attack to this market on that day.

Josef walked toward the north end of the place like he did that day and waited for his contact. Nyssa, Lucy, and a number of MI-5 officers were scattered all over the area, each taking a tactical position where they could see Josef and the patrons from several angles. 

Nyssa took a high position stopping at a vendor selling sunglasses and jewelry. She pretended to be engaged in a conversation on her mobile while shopping for glasses. Lucy took a ground position opposite her sister. She was several steps away from Josef looking at hooked rugs. Several minutes went by without a word. Then, Nyssa had a call from her sister.

_"So, you think he's going to show? My money is on this faction giving Josef up for dead,"_  she said.

“Maybe, give it another few minutes. If he doesn’t show, it’s no great loss.”  


_"Are you taking your boyfriend to see your new client tomorrow?"_  asked Lucy in her usual smug way.

“No, and why do you keep referring to Lucas as my boyfriend?” Nyssa asked as she rolled her eyes at the comment. Lucy loved to dig under her sister’s skin about her relationship with Lucas.

_"Well, he is, isn't he? Sister dear, let me educate you on a few things about relationships and life. When you date a guy, sleep with the guy, move in with the guy.....he is generally referred to as a boyfriend."_

“I did not move in with him. I am merely staying at his place temporarily. I’ll be moving back into my apartment by the end of the week.” 

_"Yeah, right!"_  Lucy said with a smirk.

Nyssa grew tired of explaining herself to her sister when it came to Lucas. Even her mother was pestering her with questions over this sudden change. Marilyn was very insistent that Nyssa and Lucas came to the house for dinner later in the evening which Nyssa counted as strange. She hoped that her mother was not planning an advance wedding.

“Can we focus on the mission at hand? I can’t see everyone from my angle. Can you see Josef?” Nyssa asked Lucy.

_"Yes I can. Poor guy. He's so scared right now, it looks like he might wet himself."_ Lucy glanced around the various people as they strolled past. Her eyes fell on an interesting character at a small café across the courtyard. He was a young guy with thinning dark hair, athletically built, Middle-Eastern looking, wearing a tan sports jacket and matching trousers. He glanced at Josef at various times, trying not to seem too interested. Yet to a trained operative, one could see that he was watching pretty closely.

_"There's a guy at the cafe who seems like a good candidate,"_  Lucy said to her sister.

Nyssa slowly spun around and scanned the café until she saw him. 

The team waited and watched both men for ten more minutes until Josef's mobile rang. Josef answered the call and nodded his head. He said nothing, just rang off, pocketed the phone and looked up in Nyssa's direction.

“No, no, no, don’t look up at me,” she said to herself.

When Josef spotted Nyssa, he smiled and gave her a thumbs up before heading to the east exit. Nyssa turned toward the man at the café who was also looking at her with more surprise and anger combined. He stood and started walking toward the nearest exit.

“Lucy, Ben, he saw me. He's heading toward you, Lucy,” Nyssa nearly shouted with excitement as she hurried toward the stairs to the main level.

The man turned the corner and stopped when Lucy approached him. What made him take notice of her was the taser gun that she carefully pulled out of her shopping bag that she was carrying.

The man quickly turned and doubled back to the café where he was also met with Ben Kaplan and a couple of officers behind him. The suspect did not slow down. Instead, he approached Ben and grabbed him by the shoulders. Before Ben could react, the suspect shoved Ben into the other two men who fell on top of another table and chairs behind them. All three men fell like dominoes. The suspect picked up speed and was racing out of the marketplace.

By the time Nyssa made it to the ground floor, the suspect raced past her and into a crowd of onlookers curious to see what the commotion was about. Ben was the first to recover and was on his feet chasing after Nyssa and the suspect.

The suspect sprinted across the busy street and entered an alley. The traffic slowed the pursuing party down a little allowing the suspect enough time to pull his mobile from his pocket to dial a number. Nyssa knew that they had to get to him before he alerted his bosses that their foot soldier was compromised.

The suspect was ready to hit the call button when Ben took a leap and grabbed the man by his knees to bring him down. The mobile phone went flying out of the man's hand and landed a few meters ahead of him. He turned and kicked Ben in the chest to get him off then pulled his gun from the shoulder holster under his jacket.

The man recovered and was on his feet before Ben could stand and pointed the gun at his head. Ben held his hands up in surrender and took a deep breath. Ben's mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts about this moment being his last.  

Suddenly, the suspect's body contracted. His face showed immense pain. He fell to his knees, and the gun fell to the ground. Lucy was behind him with the taser gun already firing enough voltage to subdue him completely.

Ben looked at the blonde and smiled.

“Thanks,” he replied and nodded. Lucy returned the gesture with a smile and a wink.   
After what Ben and the team had been through with these two women over the past year, he never thought he would see the day when he was grateful that they were there to save his life. Lucy took another route to head off the chase and caught up with them on the other side of the alley. She saw that Ben was in trouble and took her chance.

The other MI-5 officers arrived to take the suspect away while Nyssa collected the mobile phone and gun off the ground where they were dropped. Ben took a moment calm himself before he turned and headed back toward the street. He stopped to nod at Nyssa after she placed her hand on his shoulder.

The last to leave the alley was Nyssa and Lucy. Nyssa turned toward her sister and sighed.

“Just another typical day for us,” she said.

“Oh yeah, totally!” said Lucy.

Both girls walked casually in the direction of Jack's car.

 


	2. Playing Both Sides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am following the story plot of Spooks series 7 episode 4, but I warn my readers now that I have changed a few minor details in order for the timeline in my story to fit with the episode. I promise to try and stay true to the canon as much as possible. 
> 
> Thank you for your reading support. I would love to hear from you. Please leave comments. They are most welcome.

Lucas returned to the grid after accompanying his asset, Aram Beyda, to the hospital. It was suppose to be a simple meeting with an asset who arrived from Damascus. Lucas was assigned to pick him up from the train station and transport him to the MI-5 safe house. It was in a crowded station in the middle of the day. They did not expect an assassin to be there waiting for Beyda.

Lucas was lucky to catch sight of the man from across the sea of people and reached Beyda before the assassin did. They tried maneuvering through the people to get to the nearest exit when the assassin struck. He managed to stab Beyda and cut Lucas, but Lucas elbowed him in the throat and knocked the wind out of him before taking him down.

However, the damage was done. Aram Beyda was losing a lot of blood. He managed to pass information and a mobile SIM card to Lucas before he passed out. Lucas called for backup to get Beyda to the hospital without drawing unwanted attention to the situation. The last thing he wanted was to be headlined on the BBC news.

When he returned to the grid, he barely had time to type up his notes and prepare for the briefing on what he found. Harry Pearce was already calling for the team to assemble into the conference room. Lucas downloaded what he could find on the international terrorist, Muhammad Khordad, and was heading in that direction when he saw Nyssa and her team exiting the conference room. They had just finished their own briefing on the marketplace operation and was about to leave.

Lucas smiled as he approached her, and she responded in kind. After the kind of day he was having, it was nice to see a friendly face. 

“You’re back,” Nyssa said. “How was the op?”

“It didn’t go as well as I hoped, but I received some vital Intel from it,” he answered. “Harry has called for a briefing. Did everything go well at the marketplace?”

“Not really! It was a textbook case when you send in a kid with no spy training to take point in an operation. It didn’t go quite as planned, but we didn’t go home empty handed. We managed to capture another Al-Qaeda member for you to interrogate. This guy might know something useful.”

Lucas smiled then noticed that both Lucy and Jack were heading toward the pods. They stopped and turned back to watch Nyssa and Lucas. It was as if they were waiting for Nyssa to join them.

“Are you leaving?” He asked. He looked a little disappointed. Nyssa merely smiled, but her eyes gave him the answer to his question.

Even though she was temporarily sharing his flat, they still saw very little of each other. Harry had Lucas and Nyssa working different operations, which gave them very little down time together. He had hoped that Harry would give them the same assignment, so he could keep a close eye on her. 

Ever since he first had contact with the mysterious faction that ruined her career and threatened him, he had been extremely protective of her. He never told Harry or Ros about the telephone call or the photographs left at his flat. How was he suppose to approach that conversation? Explain to them that he took it upon himself to find these people by putting him and Nyssa in danger without backup? Now, he was exposed to them. They knew his name and Nyssa’s. He knew this was no game, so what possessed him to behave like it was?

Nyssa took his hand and stared into his concerned blue eyes. She placed her other hand on his cheek and smiled.

“Yes. Our part in the op is done for now. Harry told us we could leave but to stay in touch in case he calls us back.”

Nyssa could tell that Lucas was still not happy. She understood that they were not spending a lot of time together and shared in his frustration. But, that was the nature of this business, which was why not many relationships survived.

“We can catch up later today. Jack and I have a client to see tomorrow, and I have to get ready for our dinner date at Mom's house. Call me later when you’ve finished up,” she said before planting a quick kiss to his lips.

“Dinner at Marilyn's. Of course!” Lucas had almost forgotten about that. “I shouldn’t be too long.”

“You said that you and Jack are meeting a client tomorrow? Is it dangerous?” he asked, changing the subject. Nyssa noticed his concern and gave him a look.

“Lucas, since you’ve met me, I’ve dealt with an enforcer for the Irish mob, a loan shark and his flunkies, and a high-rolling con artist. I think I’ll be okay,” she said with some irritation. “Besides, this client is a supermodel turned fashion designer. According to Jack, her complaint seems very white collar. I doubt it’s that dangerous.”

“A supermodel. Jack must be very pleased with this new case.”

“Let’s just say that when I finally agreed to it, he wouldn’t stop thanking me. He’s says that this little assignment takes care of his Christmas and birthday gifts for the next year.” She giggled a little, and Lucas smiled.

Ros emerged from the conference room and saw Lucas talking to Nyssa from across the room. She sighed and walked quickly toward the couple. Lucas still had a job to do, and Nyssa was becoming a distraction. He needed to get his head back in the game.

“Lucas, if you are quite finished with your little liaison, we would like to have a chat about the operation. That is, if it's alright with you, Nyssa?” Ros asked in a sarcastic tone.

Lucas looked at Ros and nodded while Nyssa merely closed her eyes and took a breath. She was still finding it difficult to get along with Ros. 

Ros turned on her heels and left for the conference room leaving Lucas to say a quick goodbye and get back to work. Lucas turned back to Nyssa who opened her eyes and stared back into his. She said nothing and gave him another quick kiss before she whispered her goodbyes. Nyssa turned and walked toward her team. He watched her enter the pods and watched the door close before turning back toward the conference room.

The meeting with the team was quick. Lucas gave the background Intel he gathered on Muhammad Khordad that he found in their computer archives. While he was researching for the briefing, Malcolm managed to study the SIM card that Lucas gave him when Lucas returned to the grid. All the information was presented as always with the team deciding what steps to take going forward. In the end, using the SIM card was the best option. 

Harry dismissed everyone to continue with their work while Malcolm worked on connecting the SIM card to his console. As everyone slowly filed out of the room, Harry called for Lucas to come into his office before the team reassembled at Malcolm’s station.

Harry slid the door to his office open and entered leaving Lucas to close the door behind him. Harry motioned for Lucas to take a seat and sat in his own favorite chair behind his desk to face him. Both men sat in silence for a few seconds before Harry spoke.

“How are you and Nyssa coping?” Harry asked.

“Fine. She is anxious to return to her flat. She says that it's more private with plenty of space to work on her father's car,” said Lucas.

“Do you suspect any other reason?” 

“At the moment…..no! But, given her past behavior, it wouldn’t surprise me if she were planning something without us.”

Harry nodded in agreement. Malcolm was still working on identifying the name attached to the number code on the Blacklist memo that Nyssa obtained a few weeks ago. Nyssa had not made any attempt at gaining further information about the memo since turning it over to the team. That, alone, made Harry suspicious that she already knew more than they did about it.

“I don’t think that would be wise of her to return to that warehouse just yet,” he said.

“I agree, but not allowing her a little freedom might cause her to push us further away.”

_And, do something dangerous without telling me._

Harry pursed his lips at the thought of loosening his surveillance of Nyssa’s activities. Ever since Sam Walker told him that Nyssa had a list of names from his decades-old operation Sugar Horse, he had wanted to keep Nyssa as close as possible.

There was a mole in his organization, and the people with the knowledge of Sugar Horse was a short list. Perhaps, this mysterious shadow faction might be involved, and that was why they were so interested in Nyssa.

But, Nyssa knew nothing about Harry's involvement with Sugar Horse and even less about the extend of their knowledge on the shadow faction. To fully protect her like he wanted, he would have to disclose what he knew. And, he was not prepared to do that, nor had he any intention to do so.

He had to trust that Lucas would continue to remain close to her now that they were on more intimate terms. He could trust Lucas to tell him everything that she was up to.

“You're right!” said Harry. “It has taken nearly a year to get her to trust us this far. This shadow organization hasn't made contact in over a month since those men bugged her mother's house. Have you noticed anything usual recently?”

Lucas remained calm but hesitated before he answered the question. It was in that moment that he had the opportunity to tell Harry about the phone call and the pictures at his flat, but he stayed silent and shook his head no. Why could he not tell Harry? Even Lucas was at war with himself over the matter, but his instincts said to stay quiet.

A knock on the door brought both men out of their thoughts and back to the present. Connie entered and told them that Malcolm was ready to activate the SIM card. Harry acknowledged her and waited until she left before turning back to Lucas.

“Stay close to Nyssa and report to me what she is doing. We can’t have her investigating on her own again, and if the FSB is involved, I don’t want them getting their hands on her either.”

“Right.” Lucas nodded. 

“Now, let’s go and see what Muhammad Khordad has to say.” Both men stood from their chairs, walked out of the office, and headed toward Malcolm's station.

While Lucas and the team were dealing with an international terrorist, Nyssa and Lucy decided to have lunch at a local café before Nyssa went home to make a vegetable casserole to take to Marilyn’s house. Jack opted to check on their new client before the meeting tomorrow. After hearing Jack's desciption of her, it did not surprise Nyssa one bit.

“So, you and Jack are meeting a new client tomorrow?” asked Lucy while stabbing at her Asian salad. “What does Pretty Boy MI-5 think about that?”

“I really wish you wouldn’t call him that.” Nyssa felt a little irritated that her sister could not help but make remarks about Lucas at every opportunity.

“My, we're very defensive when it comes to him.” Lucy smiled, and Nyssa made a face at her sister. “Don’t get me wrong, Nyssa. I'm glad that he makes you happy. I just wish you didn’t always go for the bad boy types.”

“What are you talking about?” Nyssa asked slightly confused.

“Well, he's a British MI-5 operative. If Dad were here, he'd say that you gave 'sleeping with the enemy’ a whole new meaning,” said Lucy while Nyssa rolled her eyes.

“I need you to do something for me,” Nyssa said changing the subject. “I need you to reach out to your arms dealing contacts. The scarier the better, and set up a meeting for me.”

“Why?” Now, Lucy was the confused one.

“I need to get the attention of the NSA officer that wrote that Blacklist memo, and I have an idea how I can do that.”

“I don’t know, Nyssa,” said Lucy sounding concerned. “You know that I don’t really trust Lucas, and I don’t agree with nearly anything he says. But, I do think he's right about this. You can’t put yourself in danger like this without help. Jack and I can only do so much.”

“Harry's going to find out who this guy is anyway. So, I'm not really withholding anything from them, but I've got to get to him first. I have my own questions, and knowing how Harry and the team operate, I won’t get my answers. Now, are you going to help me?”

Lucy took a moment and sighed before she answered her. Nyssa was so stubborn, that she knew her sister would do this with or without her. It was better to comply with Nyssa’s wishes and stay in the loop of things. That way, she had a better position to watch her sister's back.

“Okay, I think I know somebody who can fit the bill. I'll set it up and let you know.”

“Good. Now, I've got to get back to the flat and start that casserole. I don’t know what Mom has planned, but she says she has a surprise for me. Whatever that means.”

“I can only guess.” Lucy smiled.  
“Don’t worry about me,” said Nyssa as if sensing what her sister was thinking. “I know what I'm doing.”

With that, Nyssa stood from her chair, turned, and headed for her Indian motor bike.  
Lucy watched her sister go with a sense of dread. Out of all of Nyssa’s plans to find answers about her blacklist, this one bothered her the most.

“I pray that you do know what you're doing,” she said under her breath as she paid for the meal and left.


	3. Family Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to give the characters smart phones even though the show was pre-smart phone technology by maybe two or three years. I thought they needed an upgrade.

Nyssa spent much of the afternoon preparing a sweet potato casserole to take to her mother’s house. She checked the clock in the kitchen and became concerned that Lucas would not make it to the dinner. The last time she spoke to him was an hour ago, and he was still at the grid.

Nyssa was determined not to show up to Marilyn's house by herself. She did not want to call Lucy to come if she could help it. Lucy was busy setting up that meeting for Nyssa, and Jack was busy with their new client. Based on Jack's description of her, Nyssa knew better than to call Jack away from her.

Lucas spent his afternoon contacting his FSB asset, Elizabeta, to see what the Russians knew about the assassin at the train station. The team had made direct contact with Muhammad Khordad with the SIM card just as Beyda instructed before he lost consciousness.

Apparently, the international terrorist wanted to negotiate a peace agreement with Harry, but the meeting was to be arranged on his terms. If Khordad was serious about a meeting, there were people out there who did not want that to happen. So, who hired the assassin?

Elizabeta said that it would take a day for her to get the information he needed, and Khordad said that he would text the team in a few days with the details of the meeting. So, Harry dismissed the team for the evening but to stay in touch in case something developed. When Lucas arrived at his flat, he was met with the pleasing smell of the casserole cooking in the oven.

Nyssa had already showered and dressed in a loose-fitted cream cotton dress that was off-the-shoulder. She was in the bathroom applying some light makeup. Her hair was braided and pinned into a loose bun that rested on the back of her neck. She was wearing a simple dress with a skirt that was a few inch below her knees, but it was no less flattering. She had on tan colored sandals with a small heel that gave her a few more inches to her height.

_She still looks beautiful, no matter what she wears._

“Hello,” he said smiling at the doorway.

Nyssa turned to look at him just as she pulled the mascara wand from the tube and smiled in return.

“You're here. Good. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to call Lucy. I don’t wanna do this by myself,” she said as she turned back to face the mirror and finish with the mascara.

“Surely, it cannot be that bad, Nyssa. It's dinner. How can dinner with your mum be terrible?”

Nyssa turned toward again and made a face.

“She said she had a surprise waiting for me. I can’t imagine what that means, nor do I want to,” said Nyssa. “I'm almost finished, and the casserole should be done by now. Hurry and get dressed. We'll leave as soon as you’re ready.”

Lucas gave her a silly grin and walked toward his wardrobe. He pulled out a navy blue dress shirt to go with dark blue jeans and black jacket. As soon as Nyssa was out of the bathroom, Lucas combed out his hair. He left the bedroom and went into the kitchen to find Nyssa pulling the casserole dish out of the oven.

Nyssa prided herself to be good at a small number of skills: tactical, martial arts combat, weapons training, mechanics, and cooking. Of all her talents, cooking was something that she learned from her grandmother growing up in Georgia.

Her grandmother encouraged Nyssa and Lucy to learn how to cook so that one day, her two granddaughters would marry and raise a family of their own. Little did the grandmother know that her granddaughters would grow up to be working as spies for a British anti-terrorism division of MI-5.

Lucas enjoyed Nyssa’s cooking. He enjoyed many other things about having her at his flat. It reminded him of how much he missed married life. Meeting Elizabeta that afternoon brought back all of those feelings. Only, it was Nyssa that he was thinking about at the time.

At night, the nightmares of Lushanka prison were becoming less frequent, replaced by the memories of how he felt sharing his life with a partner. He had entertained ideas of making this temporary arrangement more permanent, but each time he approached the thought with Nyssa he stopped himself. What was he afraid of? He knew that she was a very independent person, but would she be open to the idea?

He was still thinking about it on the way to Marilyn’s house when Nyssa’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.

“How did your afternoon go?” she asked.

Lucas was taken back by the question. It was a simple question, but he had a little trouble looking for an answer. Nyssa was an American, a former army soldier and spy. Muhammad Khordad was high on the most wanted list for countless American deaths.

Lucas knew that he could not tell her, or the operation might be compromised. He especially did not want Nyssa to know about Elizabeta for a number of reasons.

“It is still an ongoing operation. Malcolm is still analyzing the information from the train station. Harry might call me back to the grid, so we need to be prepared.” It was true enough.

Nyssa nodded and let the conversation go. She turned her attention back to the road. It was an acceptable explanation for their line of work. Nyssa was not a part of the operation, and she knew there were details that she did not need to know.

They arrived at Marilyn’s house and parked the car. Nyssa was the first to enter with Lucas following behind carrying the casserole.

“Mom, we're here,” Nyssa called out. Marilyn emerged from the kitchen dressed in a flower printed blouse and dark trousers. She had an apron tied around her waist. She smiled when she saw Nyssa and Lucas.

“Sweetheart. I'm so happy to see you,” Marilyn said with a smile as she walked toward the couple with her arms open.

Marilyn gave Nyssa a brief hug before turned toward Lucas to take the casserole from him. Lucas leaned over the dish and gave Marilyn a brief kiss on the cheek before she turned to go back into the kitchen. He followed Marilyn back toward the kitchen leaving Nyssa to close the front door. She took a few more steps into the house before she spoke.

“So, what's this big surprise you said…..”

Nyssa could barely finish the sentence before an arm suddenly wrapped around her neck. A man jumped from the side bedroom and grabbed her from behind attempting to take her down.

Before he could pull Nyssa to the floor, she twisted into her attacker and used his momentum to flip him over her shoulder and land with his back to the floor. Nyssa twisted his wrist with her one hand and grabbed him by the neck with the other.

Lucas heard the attack and turned around to see Nyssa flipping her attacker to the floor. He reached under his coat behind his back for his gun. As his fingers felt the hand grip, Marilyn grabbed his arm to stop him. She rushed forward with her hands up to prevent him from confronting the man on the floor.

“Nice move, Sis. Have you working out?” said the attacker with what little breath he had left. He spoke with a hint of a London accent.

“Mike?” Nyssa nearly screamed when she realized her attacker was her thieving brother.

After hearing Nyssa say the man's name, Lucas relaxed his stance but remained on alert. His eyes darted from Marilyn to Nyssa to the man on the floor, watching with curiosity.

“Nyssa, that is no way to treat your brother,” shouted Marilyn.

“I'm treating him?” Nyssa asked somewhat surprised.

“Let him up,” Marilyn demanded.

Nyssa let Mike go and stood up. She walked a few steps away letting Mike pull himself up on his own.

“He deserves more than that. Is this the big surprise you had waiting for me? Why didn’t you just tell me that he was in town?” Nyssa asked rather heatedly.

"How was I suppose to get you to see your brother?” asked Marilyn.

“Are you still pissed off about that car I borrowed from you?” asked Mike as he slowly stood from the floor. He stretched his back and winced as he felt pain from the spot where he landed.

“Oh, you mean the car that you stole from me and lost it in a card game?” Nyssa could feel the anger growing from this conversation.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” he said with a toothy grin.

"It was a rental car, you idiot.” Nyssa crossed her arms looking defensive.

“Nyssa, stop this! You need forgive your brother. This is no way to behave. You haven’t seen him in years,” said Marilyn trying to sound diplomatic.

“The last time I saw him, he stole my keys, my wallet, and hit me with a phone book.”

“You were angry. It was self-defense.”

Before Nyssa could react, Lucas stepped in with his hands up to calm the siblings before another fight broke out.

“Let’s calm ourselves for a moment,” said Lucas as he cautiously stepped in between them.

Marilyn waited for the tension to die down before she spoke. She smiled at Nyssa, and her hostess demeanor returned.

“Yes, Lucas is right. Let’s calm ourselves, and we can resume our discussions over dinner.” Marilyn turned to Lucas and motioned in Mike’s direction.

“Lucas, this is my son, Michael McBride. Michael, this is Lucas North. He is a friend of Nyssa’s. Lucas, will you be a dear and help set the table with Michael. Nyssa will help me in the kitchen.” Marilyn’s smile faded when she turned to face Nyssa.

She motioned for Nyssa to follow her into the kitchen. Nyssa could tell on her face that her mother was about to have it out with her daughter, and she did not want an audience.

Nyssa closed her eyes and took a breath in frustration before she moved. When Nyssa and Marilyn moved out of earshot of the two men. Marilyn laid into Nyssa about her behavior toward her brother in front of Lucas.

"How can you speak to your brother like that in front of Lucas? Who knows what he thinks of us now? You need to learn to control that temper and forgive your brother. He has his share of problems, but he is working to correct it.”

“Really? What exactly does that mean? Mike has spent the majority of his life racking up debts from his gambling, and when he isn’t spending the money, he’s stealing it from somebody else.”

"Need I remind you that both you and your sister are not blameless when it comes to thievery. You have made mistakes too. Now, apologize for embarrassing your brother. I can’t imagine what Lucas must think of this family after what you just did.”

_Trust me! Lucas already knows._

Nyssa was about to say something but stopped herself. There was no use arguing with her mother on the subject of Michael.

After their father left and Nyssa and Lucy followed their own paths, Marilyn was left to raise Michael practically on her own. Marilyn took Michael and came to live in London with her parents. But, they were in no condition to really help.

So, Marilyn did it all, taking care of both her parents and Michael. When Michael came of age, he also left home and returned to America.

With the help of his father’s old associates, he learned the family business of being a con artist and a thief. He also had an unhealthy habit of gambling his share of the take which kept him on the run for most of his life. The last time Nyssa heard anything about Michael, he was living in Las Vegas because New York was a little too dangerous for him at the time.

For the first hour, dinner was relatively quiet. Lucas and Nyssa sat on one side of the table with Michael seated across from Lucas.

Marilyn was at the head of the table between them. The group ate in silence through their salads until the entrée was served. That was when Nyssa took the opportunity to address the elephant in the room.

“So, Mike, what brings you to London?” asked Nyssa with a smile toward her brother. “I hope you didn’t have any problems in Vegas that brought you here.”

Marilyn made a face, but Michael only smiled before he answered. Lucas carefully reached under the table to squeeze her hand as a warning not to go there, but she ignored it.

“I actually have a job, Big Sister. I was telling Mum about it before you arrived.”

“A job?” Nyssa asked somewhat surprised. “An actual job?”

“He's an accountant working for a new company in the city, Nyssa. It's a good job. He's been promoted already,” said Marilyn smiling at her son. Nyssa remained unconvinced.

“A new company? A promotion? And, how long have you been with this new company?”

“At least three months.” Michael took a moment before he answered. He expected a negative reaction.

“It's a clothing store that just opened.”

“You've been here for three months, and you didn’t tell Mom or me until now?” Michael lowered his eyes to his plate while Marilyn did the same.

To Nyssa, their gestures spoke more than words could say. Nyssa took a breath as understanding washed over her.

"So, you knew he was in town and didn’t a word to me about it.” Nyssa turned toward her mother. She was surprisingly calm.

"How long have you known?”

"He told me right after he was hired. He wanted to wait to tell you until he could show you how much he changed,” said Marilyn placing a hand over Michael's hand in comfort.

“Does Lucy know that you’re back?” By now, Nyssa was at war with herself fighting to control her temper.

"I made amends with her a week ago. You were the last to know because I knew that you would react this way.”

"Excuse me. I think I'll skip dessert. I need to get some air,” Nyssa said as she slammed her napkin on the table and stood from her chair.

She was already out the front door when Lucas called out to her. When she did not respond, he hurried after her. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to face him.

Lucas saw when she raised her eyes to meet his that tears were forming. He raised his hand to her cheek and wiped away a single tear with his thumb. For a brief moment, Nyssa seemed vulnerable like she did not know what to do.

Everything in him wanted to hold her close and comfort her until the pain stopped, but then her expression changed. She gently grasped his hand and removed it from her cheek. She continued to hold his hand in both of hers which gave him some hope. At least, she was not shutting him out.

“I appreciate you coming to check on me, but I just needed some air. I'm not going anywhere,” she said in a businesslike tone.

"My family continues to surprise me. Just when I think there’s nothing that they could do at this point, you know.”

“Do you think that he might be telling the truth? That, maybe, he is trying to do the right thing and get his life together?” Nyssa smirked.

“You can spend all day studying the file on my family, but you will never really know them like I do. I've spent a lifetime with these people. I know how they think.”

"Is it that difficult to believe that your brother can change? You and your sister changed,” Lucas said making his point.

Nyssa had nothing to say after that. It was true that she and Lucy walked that same path and later gave it up. They each found a way to use their talents to help people instead of self-serving.

"Okay, you have a point. I’ll give my brother a chance and see if he's telling the truth.” Nyssa smiled and raised up on her toes to place a gentle kiss to Lucas' lips.

“Thank you for being here,” she said as she walked past him and into the house.

Lucas was about to follow when his mobile vibrated in his pocket. He thought it might be Harry texting him about the meeting with Khordad, but it was a number he did not recognize.

The text read, BACK OFF, with an attachment. Lucas opened the attachment and saw that it was a photo of him and Elizabeta taken that afternoon.


	4. The Next Course of Action

The rest of the evening at Marilyn’s house was filled with strange tension and sometimes awkward silence. It was late in the evening by the time Lucas and Nyssa arrived at his flat. He seemed very distant after that argument between Nyssa and her brother at the dinner table. 

Nyssa worried that the family drama was becoming too much for him, and she wondered how many more days she would have before Lucas wised up and ended their relationship. The mere thought of breaking up was giving her anxiety. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, reminding herself that she was creating a fictional scenario that may turn out not to be true. 

_What am I? Fourteen?_

She had to stop focusing on such silliness and get her mind on more important matters.

Perhaps, Lucas was distracted with the operation he was working on with the MI-5 team. Maybe that was Harry who texted him with an update on their situation. Lucas did say that Harry had the team on standby if anything developed.

Lucas went straight to bedroom and closed the door the moment they walked into the flat. Nyssa decided that a hot bath and a chilled glass of wine was the best answer to relieve her of her stress and relax before she joined him. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day with meeting Jack and the new client. She decided to turn her attention to that.

Lucas was changing out of his clothes when he heard Nyssa running a bath. She closed the door of the bathroom just as Lucas carefully opened the bedroom door to see if the coast was clear. He did not want Nyssa around to hear his conversation.

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his mobile. He made a call to Malcolm and checked the hallway again while he waiting for Malcolm to answer.

 _"Hello Lucas, there has been no activity with Khordad yet. I will keep you informed the moment he texts us about the meeting,"_  said Malcolm.

“Good, but that isn't why I called. I need you to run a check on a mobile number. I received an anonymous text, and I want you to trace it for me.”

_"Do you suspect it might be from any of Khordad's associates?_

“Could be,” Lucas said. “I'll send you the number.”

Lucas finished his call and replaced his mobile back into the jacket pocket. He heard Nyssa turn off the water and open the door.

He opened the bedroom door and saw that she had already changed out of her clothes and into his dressing gown. She had taken her hair down and twisted it in a messy pile on her head held together with hair pins. The gown was a little big for her. The length stretched down to her calves, covering most of her bare body. 

She turned and looked at Lucas as though she were a little frightened of something. Her expression made Lucas wonder if she may have overheard him.

“I thought I would soak in the tub a while to try and relax before I come to bed,” she said.

“Do we still have some of that red wine left?”

Lucas nodded. She turned to walk toward the kitchen when he reached forward and gently grabbed her arm. He turned her toward him.

“Are you still worried about your family?” he asked hoping that was the reason for her apprehension.

“To be honest, I'm more worried about what you think. Now that you've had a front row seat of the family drama, I'm worried about what you think of me. It's silly, I know.”

Nyssa moved to pull out of his grip and continued toward the kitchen when he pulled her toward him. Lucas wrapped both arms around her and held her until she stopped resisting him and relaxed into his embrace.

“You are not the first person I have met with family issues. Trust me,” he whispered to her. “You are not your brother, and this does not change my feelings about you.”

Nyssa closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She felt comforted and safe in his arms. She needed to hear his reassurance that her family history did not affect their relationship in any way. She wanted to trust that he was telling her the truth. 

Lucas raised his right hand to cup her cheek and lift her chin to look into her eyes. She saw the love and compassion reflected in his eyes and smiled. Lucas could see the tension slowly leave her as he stared into her hazel eyes. As his other hand slowly traveled down her body to her backside, the comfort in his eyes transitioned into something more passionate. 

He bent down and kissed her tenderly at first. His left hand pulled her closer to him while his right hand ventured down to slip into the dressing gown to touch her more intimately. Nyssa kissed him back a little harder. 

She reached behind her and gripped the door handle of the bathroom. She opened the door before she broke their kiss. Lucas felt her step back to enter the bathroom. With both hands, Nyssa tugged at Lucas to follow her.

The look on her face with her sly smile made it nearly impossible to resist her. As soon as he was inside, Lucas closed the door behind him.

The phone number that Lucas gave Malcolm was a one-use mobile, so Malcolm could not identify specifically who it belonged to. But, he did manage to find the location of the phone based on when the text was sent.  
He had his mobile in his hand, ready to phone Lucas when Ros emerged from the pods.

She was always one of the last to leave the grid aside from Malcolm. She saw Malcolm from across the room and headed toward him.

“Malcolm, I thought you had left. Why are you still here?” she asked out of curiosity.

“Lucas phoned in a mobile number and asked for me to look into it. He said someone had sent him an anonymous text,” Malcolm answered.

“And, what did you find?” Ros was beginning to sense that there was something not right about the request.

“Well, that is the strange bit. The mobile was a one-use, so finding who sent the text may be impossible. But, I managed to triangulate the location with the time that Lucas received the text. That is what I find so perplexing.”

“How so?”

“The neighborhood where the mobile was sending is only a block away from Marilyn McBride's home, Nyssa’s mum.”

Ros let the information sink in before she spoke to Malcolm.

“Leave this with me, Malcolm. I'll brief Harry, but tell no one, not even Lucas.”

The technical analyst merely nodded that he understood and said nothing. At first, he thought her order was very strange, but he had been in the service long enough to become used to these types of orders. Ros had her reasons, and he trusted her enough that he generally accepted not knowing everything that his section chief had on her mind.

Ros had been a little suspicious of Lucas’ activities ever since Nyssa moved into his flat. She never trusted Nyssa, and even though Lucas had proved his loyalty many times with the service, she still felt that his judgment became impaired when it came to Nyssa.

Harry had lifted the surveillance on Nyssa after the Pakistani Consulate operation as part of an agreement with her, but he kept the surveillance he once had on Lucas’ flat. She was thankful that Harry had the good sense to do that.

Ros saw that Harry had returned from his late afternoon meeting and was going over some files in his office. She decided to pay him a visit and express her concerns about what Lucas might be up to.

She knocked on the sliding door. When she heard him give permission to enter, she slid the door open and walked inside. She was taken back slightly when she saw that his desk looked clean and could have sworn that she saw files on his desk. But, she quickly dismissed it as not any of her business at this time.

“What is it, Ros? Shouldn’t you be at home?” Harry asked. He always worried that his chief officer was not getting enough sleep, nor was she allowing herself to have a private life.

“I had some work to finish,” she said. “I had a talk with Malcolm a few moments ago. Did you know that Lucas had asked him to look into a mobile number who texted him?”

“No! When did this happen?” Harry became curious.

“This afternoon. Malcolm said that it was a one-use phone, and it was sent only a block from Marilyn McBride's house. Lucas did not elaborate as to what the text had said, but apparently, it was unnerving enough for him to ask Malcolm to check into it.”

“I'm sure there is a plausible explanation. I know that he was with Nyssa and her mother having supper at Marilyn's home. It may be a coincidence.”

He studied Ros' expression and could tell what she was thinking. He was not entirely convinced by her reasoning.

“I would agree, Harry, if it weren't for a previous event that happened after Nyssa moved into his flat,” she said taking a seat across from his desk.

“What do you mean?” Harry asked.

“The surveillance on Lucas’ flat reported that he received a small package at his door a few weeks ago. Now, he receives this text and tells us nothing about it. It's enough to conclude that he has something in mind that he is not telling us about.”

Harry remained silent trying to work it all out in his head. He wanted to give Lucas the benefit of the doubt ever since their dealings with Kechimov, but Ros was right about one thing. They needed to confront Lucas with these issues and go from there.

“Alright, I agree. We'll wait until morning when Lucas comes in. If this has anything to do with Nyssa, we need to know about it.”

“He might be trying a go-it-alone strategy with her, and that’s too dangerous for either of them.”

Harry nodded in agreement. Satisfied with their next course of action, Ros rose from her chair and bid Harry a goodnight.

After Ros left Harry's office, he watched her through his glass wall as she gathered her things at her desk and headed for the pods. He pulled out his mobile from his jacket pocket and scrolled down the list of contacts until he came upon Bernard Qualtrough.

His finger was poised over the call button on the phone as he thought about what Ros said before she left the office. A go-it-alone strategy would be very dangerous, even for what he was doing. But, he could not tell the others about the Sugar Horse operation.

There was a reason why only a handful of people knew about it. Besides, he was not really working alone. He had help from an old friend and mentor.


	5. The Client

Nyssa left the flat early to pick something up from her mother’s house before her meeting with Jack and their client. Lucy insisted that if Nyssa was going to meet with this fashion designer, she needed to look more fashion conscious. Lucy loved the clothing line from this client’s company and wanted Nyssa to be presentable.

Nyssa insisted on the blue jeans but allowed Lucy to choose a stylish lace top with a loose cardigan and ankle boots with heels. She even allowed her sister to style her hair and apply the makeup. Nyssa was definitely turning some heads when she arrived at her destination.

Nyssa parked a block away from the home of Nadia Keller, one of the founders of the Couture World Fashion House. Nadia made her millions beginning with her career in fashion modeling when she was a teenager. She spent 20 years in the business until she retired from the runway and invested her savings in a new venture. 

Three years ago, Nadia met her two business partners at a fashion after-party who convinced her to start her own fashion house. Nadia was intrigued by the idea of her own name on clothing lines and put her own money into it. She and her partner, Daryne, headed the creative aspect of the business while Tom, the third partner, handled the business and marketing end.

The Couture World Fashion House became a success and continued to grow considerably since its launch. It also elevated Nadia’s name from a former supermodel into a fashion guru. Nadia was a self-made millionaire.

For the last several months, Nadia had noticed little discrepancies in the accounting. She watched as the money flowing within the company was off by a few pennies here and there. Little errors that by themselves were not anything to really worry about, but as a collective, the amount added up to over a half-a-million pounds.

Nadia took her concerns to her creative collaborator Daryne. Of course, Daryne said that he also noticed the discrepancies and suspected the third partner Tom. Nadia confided in her friend and fellow model, Katrina, who had her call her ex-boyfriend, Jack, for help.

Nyssa arrived at the house in Chelsea and buzzed the intercom. Even Nyssa was impressed. She had never been to a house of this grand stature before. It was a red brick house with several windows. It resembled an elite boarding school on a more grand scale. Nyssa heard the buzzing signal to the gate and walked through. She climbed the stone steps to the front door and was met by Jack.

He arrived before she did and was already getting the lay of the land (so to speak). Nadia stepped into the doorway next to Jack and extended her hand.

“Hello, I'm Nadia Keller,” she said with a smile. Nyssa briefly took her hand in greeting and stepped inside.

Nadia led them into the living room. Nyssa was very impressed by the space of the room. There was a fireplace at the far end of the room with an expensive Persian rug in the center of the hardwood flooring. A black grand piano was in the far corner of the room next to the windows that were more than twice as tall as Nyssa.

Nadia led them through the room to another corridor that led to the back garden. There was a stone patio with cushioned chairs and a small table in the center. Nadia motioned for her guests to sit while the maid laid out the tea on a silver set complete with a large silver tray. Another servant dressed in a dark pants suit carrying a small dog stood behind Nadia as if waiting for instructions. After giving her orders to her maid, Nadia turned her attention to the lady in the pants suit.

“Please make sure that my dress will be ready before the charity luncheon at the fashion house. And, tell the groomers that Duchess must have a thorough brushing and ointment on her little paws. They tend to crack in this horrid climate, and that hurts my little precious.” Nadia stroked the dog's head and gave her a kiss goodbye before the personal assistant left the room with the animal.

Nadia turned back to her guests and smiled before sitting down in a plush chair next to Jack. She reached for the tea cup and pot and began pouring, acting like the perfect hostess. She offered the cup to Jack, who took his, but Nyssa declined. Nyssa may have been English by blood, but she was American by birth. English tea was definitely not one of her drinks.

“So, Jack tells me that you're having issues with money discrepancies?” Nyssa asked.

“Yes, my accountant first brought this to my attention over last Summer. At first, I had the accounting department do a thorough sweep of the transactions that come and go within the fashion house. The discrepancies were very subtle. It took several months to finally understand what exactly was going on,” Nadia explained.

“Why didn’t you go to the police about it?” asked Nyssa.

“I cannot have the publicity. We are about to launch a new Spring collection, and Katrina has spoken so highly of Jack and his team. She said that you would be very discreet,” Nadia said as she placed her hand on Jack's arm.

Jack smiled and acted shyly as he patted her hand. Nyssa resisted the urge to roll her eyes and groan. Obviously, Jack made promises on the off-chance that he would get laid.

“What you need, Miss Keller, is a forensic accountant. The police can provide that for you,” Nyssa stated. 

“Oh, but I want you to investigate it. My partner, Daryne, believes that bringing the police would cause an uproar, and we cannot afford the bad publicity right now. Can’t you understand that I need outside professionals that know how to handle delicate situations.” She continued to smile, mostly directed toward Jack.

“Yeah, whatever we can do to help,” Jack said.

“Well, what exactly would you like for us to do?” asked Nyssa. She smiled at the ridiculous display.

“Daryne suspects that it's Tom, our business partner. Don’t take this wrong. I do want to take this to the police, but I feel better having the evidence before I involve them. I would like for you investigate this and find the proof that the police will need to arrest him.”

“Anything that we can do for you.” Jack took her hand in his and smiled even bigger than before.

“Now, I don’t wish for you to do this without compensation. I would be happy to write you a check. Is £30,000 enough?”

Nyssa was surprised, as was Jack. Neither of them expected her to pay them that much for such a simple job. 

“That is extremely generous, but I'm afraid that is too much,” said Nyssa.

Jack was struggling to find a reason not to object to her offer while Nadia reached for her pocket book on the table. Nadia waved her hand in the air like she was shooing a fly.

“Nonsense. I won’t except that,” Nadia said as she finished the check and signed her name. 

She passed the check to Jack who reluctantly pocketed it. Nyssa smirked at the display in front of her. It was comical at best.

“Okay well, we can start right away. You are having a party at your fashion house today. Is that correct?” Nyssa asked.

“Yes, it's a luncheon for charity. It is also a way to help with the anticipation for the new Spring collection. This was Tom's idea.”

“Perfect, we need you to get us a couple of tickets,” said Nyssa.

Nyssa laid out the details of her plan to both Nadia and Jack. It was simple. The luncheon would give Nyssa and Jack cover to do some reconnaissance and see who the players were. Plus, with everyone at the party, Jack would have a chance to do some searching in Tom's office for any evidence.

Jack was all up for that since Nadia said that some of her runway models would be there to display some of the collection. Nyssa would have to remind Jack that they were there to work, nothing else.

Nyssa and Jack left the house to get ready for the luncheon. Jack walked with Nyssa a block and saw that Nyssa managed to get her father's 1968 Mustang running again.

“So, you finally have a car. No need to borrow, I suppose,” he said with a smile.

“Not really.” Nyssa knew he was teasing. “It still needs work. I managed to get the electrical system working again, but it sounds like it has some issues. Perhaps you can talk to your car collecting friend into lending his Aston Martin again?”

“I can try. He's still bringing up the time I let Lucas drive that car like he was in the Formula One circuit.” 

Jack took a minute before remembering that this was an American car, and the passenger side was on the right. He walked around and grabbed the handle to open the door and waited for Nyssa to climb in before sliding in and asking her the question that was on his mind that morning.

“So, how was dinner at your Mum's?” He asked.

Nyssa a minute and sighed before she asked a question of her own.

“What did you hear?”

“Only what Lucy mentioned in passing,” he said but kept his eyes front.

“In passing. Right!” she said with a sarcastic tone. “So, did everybody know that my brother was back in town before me? I'll bet all of the MI-5 team knew.”

“Look, luv, I would normally never defend your psychotic sister, but don’t be too hard on her. She had her reasons.”

“Oh really! Well, I promise I’ll try not to strangle her when I ask her about it.”

Nyssa drove Jack to his buddy’s flat where he was currently crashing and went to Lucy's place to borrow a dress for the luncheon. She made it a point to confront Lucy about what she knew about Michael later.

Lucas woke up just after Nyssa left for her appointment. He showered and left for Thames House earlier than usual. He arrived in time to see Connie and Malcolm at their desks, but the rest of the team had not arrived yet.

He had barely taken off his coat and draped it over his chair at his desk when Ros emerged from Harry's office. She called for Lucas to come into the office. Ros stood near the doorway as Lucas walked passed her. As soon as he entered, she closed the door and left the two men alone together.

“Good morning, Lucas. Have a seat.”

Harry was seated at his desk and motioned toward the empty chair on the opposite side facing him. He watched as Lucas moved toward the chair to sit down. He grinned at his officer before beginning his questions.

“So, how are you and Nyssa getting on?” he asked.

“Fine,” answered Lucas, curious as to where this was going. “She is still taking on clients as a side business.”

“And, how do you feel about that?”

“I worry because we are no closer to finding this faction, but at least she has her team to back her up. Also, it is a good distraction from looking into her blacklist.”

“Do you really believe that she has given up on her blacklist case?”

“No, but I have no proof to believe otherwise.”

“I see. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine, Harry,” Lucas answered suspiciously. “Why do you ask?”

“Malcolm told Ros that you asked him to check on a mysterious phone number. Is there anything that we should be concerned about?”

Lucas contemplated telling Harry about the pictures and the text messages from some unknown people. But, he would also have to go back to the beginning when he agreed to help Nyssa on a case to gain information about the two men in her mother’s house without informing Harry and the team. That was a conversation he wanted to avoid for as long as he could.

“I received a strange text message from a number I didn’t recognize. I asked Malcolm to look into it believing that it had something to do with Khordad.”

“What did the text message say?” Harry was becoming concerned.

“It was a photograph of me and Elizabeta. I don’t know what that means.” Lucas decided to give Harry some of the truth but held back on the whole story.

“Do you think it was the FSB?”

“Maybe, but they already know that she talks to me. She is suppose to be my handler. Why would they send me a photo of us?”

“To use as a blackmail tool against you, perhaps? Proof to send to British Intelligence should you step out of line? I don’t know. Malcolm said that the phone number was a one-use phone and was untraceable. But, he did find out where the person was standing when he sent the photograph to you. He was only a block away from Marilyn McBride’s home. Stay close to Nyssa and watch your back.”

Lucas nodded in agreement and stood up from his chair. He headed for the door when Harry called him back. Lucas turned to face his boss who was still seated in his chair.

“Lucas, if this has anything to do with Nyssa, I want to know about it. I want to know about everything.”

Lucas held Harry’s gaze for a brief moment before turning back to the door. He opened the door and stepped out of the office. Lucas returned to his desk and started going over case files when Ros entered Harry’s office and closed the door behind her. She looked toward her commanding officer who had a look of concern on his face.

“So, did he tell you why he wanted the phone number investigated?” she asked while still standing by the door.

“Yes, and I believe him, at least about that.”

“You think he’s keeping something from us,” she stated rather than asked.

“I do, but I don’t believe it is out of disloyalty, Ros. I believe he is trying to protect Nyssa. You are right, Ros. He is picking up bad habits from her.”

Ros smirked at that last statement.

“We will keep the surveillance on Lucas’ flat. Have them only report to you if there is something amiss. I trust that Lucas will keep at tight watch over Nyssa and what she does. He has a sense of protectiveness when it comes to her. We can use that to our advantage.”

Just then, Connie hurried toward Harry’s office and knocked on the door. Ros opened the door to let her in.

“Sorry to interrupt, but Malcolm just received a text message. It’s from Muhammad Khordad,” informed Connie.

 


	6. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am introducing smart phone technology into the Spooks universe. I know that the technology was very knew at the time, but I don't think it takes away from the story. In fact, I think these characters get a lot of use out of such things. Great spy tools, after all.
> 
> Reviews are very welcome, even the critiques. Thank you.

Lucas sat through the quick briefing the team had after the text came in from Khordad. Each team member listened intently as Harry laid out the plan.   
Harry was to attend the meeting with Ros as his backup. Khordad specified that he wanted a third party to be there to represent his legal interests in the way of Sam Stevens, a human rights lawyer and political activist.

Ros sent Jo and Ben to find him and bring him back to the grid. While everyone else disbanded to perform their tasks, Lucas received a phone call from Elizabeta asking him to meet her. She had the information he needed on the assassin at the train station. Lucas informed Harry and Ros of the meeting then left the grid to make the contact.

As he exited the building and headed toward the rendezvous, he pulled his mobile from his jacket pocket. He had this unnerving feeling that he was being followed. First, it was the pictures of him and Elizabeta. Then, the text he received sent from someone who was just a block away from Marilyn’s house. This was getting too crazy. They seemed to be everywhere all the time.

He thought about Nyssa and her family, how close they had become to him in a year's time. He thought about Elizabeta and his time he had with her when they were still married. This faction had crossed a line and made this personal. He wanted to see them caught and suffer for what they were doing to the people he loved. 

His last thought was on the only person he could talk to about this situation. If this faction was so aware of his movements to constantly be one step ahead of him every time, there must be a mole somewhere in his circle of friends and associates. Lucas had to investigate this on his own, but even he knew it would be too dangerous without some form of help.

Lucas dialed the number of the one man he could think of for tactical support.

“Jack, it's Lucas. I need your help.”

As Lucas drove to his meeting with Elizabeta, Nyssa was busy rummaging through her sister's wardrobe for a suitable afternoon dress to go to a party with supermodels and movie stars. Lucy was pouting in a corner of her small flat because Nyssa chose to take Jack over her. She would have loved to see the latest fashion from the Couture World Spring Collection. After all, she had a couple of pairs of shoes from their latest clothing collection.

“I'm going to have a hard enough time trying to keep Jack's mind on the job with all the supermodels walking around. Besides, why should I reward you for betraying me like you did?” she asked as she held up a maroon silk blouse to her body while studying her look in a mirror.

“I didn’t betray you. That's such a gross word to use. I only found out a short time before you did. Answer me this, do you think you would have acted differently if I did tell you?” she spat back.

Nyssa took a breath, trying to find the words to answer that question without sounding so callous. But, she had to admit to herself that Lucy was right. If she said anything other than no, she would be lying.

After their father left, Nyssa’s family relationship was never quite good. She was busy breaking federal laws with her cousins, trying to pay the bills and keep food on the table to be any kind of sister to her siblings. It took a long time even for she and Lucy to finally get close. 

Nyssa left for the military. Lucy ran away to New York and later to Ireland after their dad. And, Michael was whisked away to England with their mother. So, Nyssa never found the time for a real relationship with her brother when she had the chance. When Michael grew up and started acting like their father, she had an even lesser opinion of him.

When she discovered that he returned to the country, she could see nothing but trouble around the corner. Would it really have made a difference if she knew sooner?

“I'll take your silence as a no,” answered Lucy in a sarcastic sort of way.

Nyssa gave her sister a sideways look and turned back to the wardrobe searching through the clothes. Lucy walked over toward the wardrobe and pulled out a dark blue sleeveless dress with a rose print. She held it up to Nyssa to study it then gave it to her sister to try on.

“Wear this with the black lace bolero and blue pumps. The shoes are my favorite, so don’t damage them.”

Lucy avoided looking Nyssa in the eye. Nyssa could tell by her face that Lucy was irritated with her. Her mind told her to change the subject, but something inside Nyssa would not let the conversation end there.

“Lucy, because of Michael's past behavior, I have a hard time believing that he's changed. You know what he's like,” she explained.

“We had this conversation once before, remember? You cannot be responsible for your family all the time. We are capable of taking responsibility for our own choices in life.”  
Nyssa turned toward her sister. Her expression softened after receiving her brief lecture. It was hard to let go after spending most of her childhood being the adult. She gave Lucy a slight smile.

“It's an old habit I can’t seem to break,” she said softly. Lucy returned her smile.

“Well, I can help by reminding you next time,” Lucy snickered. Nyssa’s smile grew bigger.

“Agreed. I will try to give Mike another chance. He might surprise me in the end.” 

Nyssa turned back to the mirror to stare at herself with the dress before moving away to the bed. She laid the dress down and began removing her clothes. Nyssa decided to change the subject to something more important to her.

“Did you get a hold of your contact for me?” she asked.

Lucy’s mood changed to a more solemn expression. Of course, she went ahead and did as Nyssa asked, but she had hoped that Nyssa would change her mind and drop this idea. She felt it was a little too dangerous to piss off the people who held so much power over them. Especially, if Nyssa was doing this on her own, yet again.

“I did. It will be a couple of days. He just happens to be making a trip to London anyway on another business matter,” she answered. “I know I asked you before, but are you sure about this? You remember what Gramps used to say. Never poke the bear unless you’re ready for what comes next.”

“I wish you wouldn’t worry. I know what I'm doing. I have you and Jack to back me up.”

“What about Lucas?” asked Lucy as she sat at the end of the bed and watched her sister.

“As much as I want to include him, I can’t risk MI-5 knowing until after I talk to him. Harry isn’t telling me everything he knows. I'm pretty sure he's keeping something from me. Plus, I'm not completely convinced that he lifted the surveillance either.”

“Are they following me around? That will spook my contact if they are.” Lucy was becoming concerned.

“I think you’re clear, but I will need to come up with a way to get rid of them when the time comes.”

“Oh, that's gonna be fun. Remember the last time we tried that? Your new boss threatened to cage all of us if we did that again.”

“I think that this time will be different.”

“Yeah, I hope you’re right.” Lucy did not feel entirely convinced.

Nyssa finished dressing and observed herself in the mirror. Lucy was right about the shoes. They accented the dress perfectly. 

Lucy rose from the bed and stood behind her sister. She ran her fingers through Nyssa’s hair and began twisting the auburn locks into something more pleasing.

“Looking good,” Lucy said, smiling at both reflections in the mirror. “Now, let me help with the hair and makeup. I can make you look like you belong. Of course, the rest is up to you.”

Nyssa spent the rest of the morning getting a make-over from her sister. She was to meet up with Jack at the fashion house around the time that the luncheon began. Jack had already changed into a dark blazer and matching pants with a blue dress shirt before he met with Lucas. Jack sat in his car across from the park where Lucas was to meet with Elizabeta. 

Jack knew almost nothing about Elizabeta except only what Lucas told him. His friend did not go into much detail, except that she was an important asset that he used for intel gathering whenever he was on specific operations. Normally, their meetings were quick with no real issues, so there was no need for backup. However, Lucas needed Jack to be there for a special matter. 

Jack’s assignment was to wait until Lucas made contact with his asset and then observe the people around them. He was to take pictures of anyone who expressed an interest in the meeting. Lucas only wanted pictures and did not want Jack to engage with the person. He did not want to alert the faction that he also had an operative in the field to watch his back.

Jack knew not to ask too many questions when it came to the business of MI-5. He also considered Lucas a mate because of his close relationship with Nyssa. What Jack found strange was that Lucas said that Nyssa was not to know about this. It was on Jack’s mind to ask the question why when Lucas cut the conversation short and hung up. He made a mental note to ask what all this was about later.

The park was packed with people, so it made surveillance difficult to do from the car. Jack saw Lucas from a distance moving toward his rendezvous. There were too many people surrounding him to see him clearly. Jack knew that his best position to stay hidden was the car, but he needed to get to a better spot to survey the meeting. Another issue was that he was not dressed for a casual outing in the park. He was dressed for a lunch party with a bunch of supermodels.

Jack ditched his blazer and grabbed his leather bomber jacket from the back seat and exited his vehicle. He left the camera in the car and took his smart phone instead. The camera would look too conspicuous. Jack walked toward the trees to provide him some cover while he searched for a better visual angle. He scanned the area while keeping his eye on Lucas. 

He only had to wait ten minutes when a petit, dark haired woman left the children’s play area and walked toward Lucas. He watched as they exchanged casual words and slowly moved toward an empty bench a few steps away. As soon as they sat down, Jack glanced around for anyone who seemed out of place. His eyes fell on two men playing chess. They did not seem strange to the average person, but it was the way they were staring at the couple which made Jack notice. He quickly snapped a few photos with his smart phone and continued watching them until the meeting was over. 

Lucas and Elizabeta concluded their talk and parted ways with Elizabeta returning to the children’s play area. Lucas headed in the opposite direction toward the street. The two men went back to their game with one of them pulling out a mobile from his coat and dialing a number. Jack continued watching them until the call was concluded, and both men left the area together.

Jack returned to the car and texted the photos to Lucas. A few seconds later, his mobile rang.

_"Jack, it's Lucas. Thanks for the photos. I promise I'll explain everything after the operation is over."_

“I hope so, mate. I don’t like keeping things from Nyssa. This has nothing to do with her Blacklist, right?”

_"Right. Listen, I've got to get back. I'll get in touch later today,"_  said Lucas before the call went dead.

Jack looked through the photos on his phone more closely. One of the men had his back to him and only turned his head a few times for a profile. But, the other man, he could see quite clearly.

Jack turned the key to start the engine then dialed a number on his mobile. He promised not to tell Nyssa what he knew, but there was no reason why he could not investigate this a little further. He had connections with some old army buddies that owed him a favor.


	7. A Secret Revealed

Lucas returned to the grid just after Harry and Ros left to meet with Khordad. He was hoping that the meeting was not quite so soon. The intel he received from Elizabeta was disturbing enough that he feared for their safety.

Elizabeta said that there was intel from the Russians that a mysterious faction had been pulling the strings of the Al Qaeda cell. When she mentioned that, Lucas felt a knot in the pit of his stomach tighten. Could it be the same group that they had been dealing with for this past year? Discovering who those men were in the pictures that Jack took had become an important priority in his mind.

What if Khordad’s meeting was not sanctioned by the Al Qaeda? It would make sense why Ossectic was sent in to take out Beyda, to stop Khordad from meeting with them. If that were true, then the meeting may had just elevated the danger level to critical.

Lucas exited the pods and rushed toward Malcolm’s station. Connie was monitoring communications while Malcolm tracked Harry’s and Ros’ movements. Both Jo and Ben were with a small surveillance team also keeping Harry’s group in their sights as they headed for the meeting place. They were ready to move in if there were any problems. Khordad felt it necessary to send them on a relay race around the city with a series of coordinates in the texts he sent. It was his way of confusing anyone who was determined to crash the party.

“Did Harry and Ros leave for the meeting?” he asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

“Yes,” answered Connie looking up from her monitors. “Khordad is leading them into the center of town.”

Lucas reached for the nearest phone and dialed Harry’s mobile number. The CCTV cameras showed Harry and Ros exiting their vehicle with Mr. Stevens following close behind. Lucas watched as Harry reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his mobile.

_"Yes, Lucas. What do you have?"_ asked Harry.

“Elizabeta just found out that Ossectic was brought in by a faction to make the hit on Beyda. The faction is controlling the Al Qaeda cell. They want to stop you from meeting with Khordad. Be careful, Harry. They could try again.” Lucas emphasized the word faction each time he said it to give Harry a clue.

Hearing Lucas’ warning about the faction took Harry a little by surprise. His mind, like Lucas, went straight to suspecting the mysterious faction that blacklisted Nyssa. Could it be these very same people? Exactly who were these people that they could infiltrate and control a terrorist organization as big as Al Qaeda? Perhaps, this meeting with Khordad would provide a few clues for them.

“Harry?” Ros’ voice brought Harry out of his thoughts and back into the present. “What’s wrong?”

“Not important right now, Ros. I’ll tell you later. Let’s get to this meeting,” he said after ringing off.

Ros and Harry continued on toward the next set of coordinates with Ben and Jo following as closely as they could without being too conspicuous. The rest of the team watched from the surveillance van and the monitors at the grid.

Lucas felt a sense of anxiety as he watched them on the CCTV cameras. If this was the faction that they had been chasing for over a year, they were far more dangerous than he realized. He thought about Nyssa and her safety. Lucas stepped away from the team and went to his desk. He pulled his mobile from his coat pocket and dialed her number.  
Connie stole a few glances at Lucas while she continued monitoring communications over the radio and wireless. She had only known Lucas since he returned to Russia, yet she had never seen him this agitated before. Whatever Elizabeta had said to him must have had quite an impact. 

She wondered if it had something to do with the American asset. It was no secret to the team how Lucas felt about Nyssa McBride. She even suspected that his judgment was sometimes compromised when it came to her and any current operations. If this did involve her in any way, than the question was, how? Connie wondered what other information was Harry and Lucas privy to that involved the little American spy.

Nyssa was on her way to the luncheon at the fashion house to meet Jack. After she left Lucy’s flat, she called Jack to make sure he was on his way just as she climbed into a cab. She could not ride her Indian in the tight dress and heels that Lucy gave her to wear, nor could she take her Mustang. The knocking sound and loud muffler still needed more attention before she felt comfortable enough to drive it on the streets.

As the cab pulled up to the fashion house, Nyssa paid the driver and exited the car. Her mobile rang inside the small purse she was carrying that Lucy said would add to her wardrobe and make her look like a professional fashion critic. She pulled out the phone and saw that Lucas was calling her. He knew that she was in the middle of a job and would not have bothered her if it were not very important.

“Hey, Lucas. Look, I'm in the middle of my job right now. What's wrong?” she asked curiously.

_"Where are you right now?"_ He asked sounding a little anxious.

“I'm in front of the fashion house, remember? My client invited Jack and me to this special charity luncheon. What's going on? Is there something wrong?”

_"Nothing really. I was making sure you were alright. This operation has me a little on edge. Listen, stay close to Jack today. I will see you later tonight. Hopefully, when all this is over, I can tell you all about it."_ His answers were very cryptic and strange to say the least.

“Okay,” she said trying to sound reassuring. “I have to go and get back to work. I hope I can report some good news on my end as well.”

She listened and waited for Lucas to stop the call, but he was hesitant, like he wanted to say something else but could not. It felt strange. Nyssa could almost feel the tension the conversation was causing but quickly shook it off.

After Lucas finally said goodbye, Nyssa hung up the phone and turned toward the front door of the fashion building. She made a mental note to pry an explanation about that call out of Lucas later. For now, she needed to focus on the task at hand.

Nyssa waited a few more minutes until she heard the familiar sounds of a super-charged engine of an Aston Martin. Jack had managed to talk his car friend into lending him the vehicle for the afternoon. Jack looked like a very rich London playboy when he exited the car in front of the Couture World Fashion House. It was just the sort of attention that Nyssa was hoping for.

Jack smiled and handed the keys and a few pounds to the parking attendant. He subtly removed his dark sunglasses and walked up the short set of stairs toward Nyssa, who was waiting by the front door.

“Nice, Jack. You cleaned up great for this little shindig,” she smiled and giggled as she looped her arm through his when he reached her.

“Luv, I am well versed in the art of ‘Dress to Impress',” he said with a smile of his own.

The couple entered the building and began their banter like two society elites as they made their way to the receptionist desk in the main lobby. They checked in under the names that Nyssa gave to Nadia to use and were directed toward the lifts. The party was on the third floor in the showrooms.

While waiting for the lift to take them to the third floor, Nyssa noticed that there was a security card lock next to the control panel. Only authorized personnel could gain access to the office floors. Jack and Nyssa would need a security card to get to the executive offices.

Nyssa and Jack exited the lifts and walked right into what could only be described as a red carpet Hollywood event. The place was packed with actors, models, designers and executives. At the far side of the room was a long runway connected to a silver curtain stage. There was techno-music while the models entered the stage from beyond the wings. They casually walked to end of the runway, made their half-turns to the people seated around the edge, and proceeded toward the backstage dressing rooms.

Jack saw Nadia seated at a large round table with a number of other guests talking and pointing as each model entered the runway wearing a variety of Couture World's creations. Nyssa assumed that those were some of the fashion editors that Nadia wanted to impress. 

Both Nyssa and Jack separated to mingle with the other guests. This gave Jack a chance to work his way around the room and lift a security badge from one of the fashion house executives. Jack hoped that he would not have to find the same type of locking system at the door of Tom's office.

Nyssa saw Jack at the other side of the room. He gave her a slight nod and left from one of the side doors toward the lifts. Nyssa slightly smiled to herself and turned her attention away just in time to see Nadia walking toward her. She had another man with her as she approached. Both women smiled as Nadia extended her arms out to grab Nyssa's hands.

“Alexa, how nice! You came after all,” she said before turning to her companion. “Daryne, this is Alexa Hunter, my American friend and fashion critic. She works for Vogue magazine. Alexa, this is my fellow partner and fashion designer, Daryne Gilroy.”

“Oh, Miss Hunter, how nice to finally meet you. I’ve read many of your articles, especially involving our fashion house,” said Daryne.

Daryne extended his hand, and Nyssa smiled warmly as she grasped his hand in greeting. She took a moment to study the man before her. He was a rather strange person. He had short dark hair slicked back from his face, a mustache and goatee, and the most pearl white teeth she had ever seen. He smiled a lot, which seemed a bit creepy to her. His clothes were a combination of a black suit and a blood red shirt and tie. One would think that he was dressed for a Halloween party as Lucifer. He wore gold rings on both of his hands with his right hand sporting three rings from the middle finger to the pinky. Nyssa never liked nor trusted men who wore pinky rings.

“Thank you, it’s a pleasure to be here and see first hand the new Spring collection,” Nyssa responded.

“Yes, well, it is good for the press to see what we have to offer and also to help support a charitable cause. I understand that you are a big believer in philanthropy, Ms. Hunter,” said Daryne.

“Yes, I’ve written many stories on celebrities and their causes. I would love to know what other charities Couture World is currently sponsoring. I think it would make a great piece to add to the story, Miss Keller.”

“I would love to explain the details,” said Nadia. “Where is your friend, Tom Brady? I was hoping that he might join us.”

“Oh, he’s around. I believe he might be getting a drink at the bar. I’m in need of a refresher myself,” said Nyssa raising her empty champagne glass as proof.

“Please…. Allow me.” Daryne took the empty flute from Nyssa’s hand. “I would be honored to refill your glass.”

Daryne smiled again and left the two ladies alone. Nyssa waited until he was out of earshot before dropping the façade. She spoke in nearly a hushed whisper to Nadia.

“Jack is upstairs in Tom’s office. He’s looking for any clues involving your account discrepancies.” Nyssa continued smiling in case Daryne was watching. “How are things going on your end?”

“A little stressful. I spoke to Tom this morning, and I found it very hard not to shout at him about this whole thing.” Nadia kept her eyes on the crowd around them trying to seem relaxed. Nyssa could tell she was nervous.

“Just relax. I don’t expect Jack to find a smoking gun in Tom’s office, but we might find something that will lead us to the money. When we get the evidence, you can take it to the police. Now, does your partner, Daryne, know of this little arrangement you have with us?”

“No, I don’t want to involve him. He would only argue that this is wrong, and the press would find out. The last time we spoke about this was right before the luncheon. He told me that he was looking into it. He didn’t speak any more about it.”

“Okay, that’s fine. The less people who know about us, the better. Where is your partner, Tom? I was hoping he’d be here and not wandering the halls near his office.”

“Yes, he was here before you came in,” said Nadia looking around the room for her partner. Her eyes spotted a familiar face at the far end of the room and motioned to him.

“There he is. He’s talking to Ralph Lauren. By the runway.”

Nyssa turned completely around and followed Nadia’s gaze until she also saw a familiar face. But, her expression was one of surprise and a little bit of fear. The man that Nadia knew as Tom was a very old acquaintance of Nyssa’s.

“That’s Tom? Your partner?” she asked not really believing the words that came out of her mouth. 

Nadia nodded, not noticing Nyssa’s surprise. For Nyssa, she knew that man all too well. Only, she knew him as Michael McBride, her brother.

 


	8. What's The Next Step?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am taking some liberties with the series episodes in order to fit more with the timeline of my story. I am trying to stay true to the series, all the same. Reviews are welcome. I love reading them.

As Nyssa stared at her brother from across the room, a sudden feeling of anxiety washed over her. Suddenly, she felt the need to find air, but she kept her feelings to herself. The last thing she wanted was to come unglued in a room full of strangers.

Whatever storm was brewing in Nyssa’s mind for that brief moment did not go unnoticed with Nadia. She furrowed her brow and placed her hand on Nyssa's arm.

“Is everything all right?” She asked with genuine concern. She gave a soft smile that Nyssa instantly returned.

“I'm fine. Nothing to worry about,” Nyssa answered before casually turning her back to Michael to face Nadia.

How was she going to do this job when the suspected target was her brother? Nyssa would never hear the end of it from her mother. Not to mention, the emotional pain she felt that her flesh and blood lied to her yet again. 

For the next half hour, Nyssa did her best to watch Michael from a distance and keep out of sight at the same time. If Michael decided to leave the party and head to his office before Jack was through with his search, she had no idea how she was going to stop him.

Her original plan would have worked if Michael was a stranger, but he was her brother. How was she going to explain it if he knew that she was there? Why she was there? Also, he had a lot of explaining of his own the next time she saw him.

Daryne approached the women with a big smile on his face. He told Nadia that it was time to introduce the chairman of the Cancer Association, the charity for whom the fashion house was sponsoring. He had his hand on her elbow and turned his attention to Nyssa.

He flashed his smug smile again which made Nyssa want to punch him right in the teeth. She was growing ever more impatient to get away from the arrogant SOB, yet she smiled in return while counting the seconds and cursing Jack’s slow return from searching Michael’s (Tom’s) office. 

Nadia stood at the podium and gave a heartfelt short speech before turning and motioning to a tall, middle-aged man with a receding hairline. The people in the room applauded, and Nyssa continued watching Michael closely. Just as the chairman began his speech, Jack appeared casually moving through the crowd toward Nyssa. He took a champagne flute from a server and took a sip as he stood next to his partner.

“How’d it go?” Nyssa asked in a hushed tone that sounded like a whisper.

“Well, he’s got nothing that physically links him to any type of corruption, but I managed to download his computer files to my mobile. I can look at them later. How are things on your end?” he asked casually.

“Terrible. I met one of Nadia’s partners and located the other one in the crowd.” Nyssa motioned to Daryne who stood next to Nadia at the podium. 

“That’s Daryne, her creative partner in the company.” Nyssa emphasized the word, creative. She gestured with a nod at Michael several paces away watching his partners.

“That’s Tom. He’s our target.”

Jack glanced around until he saw Michael in the crowd and could feel his mouth go dry. His jaw dropped, and he looked at Nyssa in surprise. The shock had since left Nyssa and was replaced with a growing anger that was getting harder to suppress. Jack could see it in her eyes.

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but Nyssa beat him to it. Her voice was low but cracking as she spoke. She was breathing a little heavy trying to calm down.

“Yeah, I know. We need to get out of here, or I’m going to blow this whole operation and do something I know I’ll regret,” she said with a calm tone, an opposite reflection of what she was feeling.

“Right.” Jack chugged the last of the champagne before placing the flute on the nearest table and taking Nyssa by the arm to lead her out of the room.

He was a bit disappointed to rush off without saying goodbye to Nadia or get to know some of the models at the luncheon, but he was well familiar with Nyssa’s family. He knew that if Michael were to see them, the whole thing could crumble. More importantly, Nyssa was on the verge of losing control. He did not need to be told what that would mean.

He was the only person who knew as much about Nyssa as she knew about herself, and he knew what Nyssa’s relationship with her siblings was all about. Nyssa’s connection with Lucy and her mother were rocky at best, but throw Michael in the mix and get an explosive cocktail.

As soon as the parking attendant arrived with the car, Nyssa did not wait for anyone to open the door. She swung the door wide and climbed in before the attendant could react. Jack heard the door nearly slam shut and cringed as he paid the tip before stepping into the driver's seat. 

My mate isn't going to let me borrow his son's bike if I keep treating his car like shit.  
If the attendants suspected anything was wrong, they did their best to hide it. They gave Jack a sorrowful look as he moved casually into the driver’s seat and closed the door (careful not to slam it) and drove away.

They said nothing for the next several blocks until Jack could not bear the silence. It was unlike Nyssa to let her emotions get in the way of her work, and she was very emotional at that moment.

“So, what now? Are we going ahead with this job?” he asked to break the silence, plus to get an idea on what to do next.

Nyssa sighed and waited a minute before she answered. In truth, she did not know what to do. What if she found something? Would she have the ability to turn her little brother over to the police?

_Don't be stupid. Of course, you'll find something. You know he's not there legitimately. Why else would he be using a fake name._

“We go ahead as planned right now. Search through his files and see what you can find. Don’t tell Nadia that we know who Tom really is. The less people who know about all of this, the better.

Nyssa said nothing more after that. Jack nodded his head and glanced at his friend and partner. She sat there like a statue continuing to stare straight ahead and not look back at him. Jack knew she was in shock and was struggling. He wanted to question her choice to treat Michael like all the other scumbags that they often dealt with but decided that now was not the time.

After a few more seconds of silence, Jack's mobile rang in his jacket pocket. He reached for it and saw that it was his friend from Scotland Yard. Jack texted the photos he took from Lucas' meeting in the park.

“Yeah, mate. What's up?” Jack asked as he was careful not to have the volume up too loudly for Nyssa to hear.

 _"The photos of these blokes are really dodgy, but I managed to get an ID on one of them. He's an American NSA guy, but here's where it gets very strange. He's been missing for three years,"_ said Philip, his old friend.

Jack was silent for a moment and turned sideways to glance at Nyssa. She turned to him with a neutral look on her face. If she could hear anything of his conversation, she did not show it.

“Phil, I’m in the car right now. I’ll ring you later,” said Jack and ended the call.

“Was that anything I need to know?” asked Nyssa.

“No, an old army bloke wants to do a bit of pub crawling tonight. You remember him? Philip Westbrook?” he asked.

“Oh yeah. I remember. He works as a DS at Scotland Yard, right? Is he calling about a job? We’re in the middle of this debacle that my brother caused. We can’t take on anything else right now.”

“Don’t worry. If he is, I'll tell him we're up to our arses in something else. Right?” He glanced over at Nyssa who gave a slight nod in agreement. She seemed tired from the emotional turmoil that was going on in her mind.

“Look, I'll drop you off at home before I phone him again.”

“No, drop me off at Lucy's flat. I really need to talk to my sister right now,” she said in a soft tone that almost resembled a whisper.

Jack said nothing and drove to Lucy's flat like Nyssa requested. Nyssa told him to keep his mobile handy in the next couple of days while she pondered over the next plan of action. Once Nyssa exited the car, Jack waited until she was in the building before pulling out his mobile again and dialing Philip's number.

“Yeah, Phil! It's Jack. Sorry, I had to stop you there. I couldn’t talk before. It's safe now, so what have you got for me?” Jack asked as he pulled into traffic.

Philip, Jack's old army buddy was filling Jack in on the information pulled from the photos just as Lucas was doing the same with Malcolm’s facial recognition software. He avoided getting his old friend involved for fear that Harry and Ros would find out. The last thing he wanted was for Harry and Ros to think he was compromised. They would take him off the case, and he wanted to get these guys now more than ever.

Lucas kept a watch around the grid while the computer scanned through the files in the archives. Each photo popped up for a fraction of a second and disappeared, replaced by another. The whole routine was taking over twenty minutes and was getting discouraging. What if these men weren’t in the data systems? Where else could he look?

He felt like he had a solid lead only to find that the lead went straight into a wall. What was he to do about it then?

After another five minutes had passed, the computer beeped and stopped searching. A photo had popped up that matched the man in Jack's photo by 95 percent accuracy. There was a little difference between the two, but the jawline, shape and position of the eyes, and the nose were an exact copy.

Lucas took another quick glance around the room before turning his attention back to the computer screen. As he scanned the file for any clues, one thing in particular left him with more questions than answers.

The name on the file was Andrew Baker, a Special Forces American operative formally stationed in Afghanistan. Baker was transferred to the National Security Agency and worked for nearly ten years before he disappeared. The file did not specify were he was or what happened to him. 

Lucas frowned after reading that and wondered if the man was recruited for a mission and went dark. Did his people know, or was this a rogue decision? It was not uncommon in their line of work, especially if that person were to go deep undercover for some mission. Some MI-6 officers were known to do that, although the details were kept as a need-to-know only. So, it would be nearly impossible to find out for sure if his disappearance was sanctioned. 

What caught his attention was that the man was American. The theory of the mysterious faction was that they were led by Americans. Perhaps, Nyssa might know this man. Only, to ask her would involve telling her what he knew about this faction and completely disobeying a direct order from Harry. 

He already knew he would be in trouble if Harry discovered that they contacted him, or finding out about the pictures they sent to his flat. He already knew that these people were dangerous. She was too exposed for his taste. He did not want to put her in more danger than she already was.

“Lucas, Harry and Ros are back. They want us to meet them in the conference room,” said Ben from behind.

Lucas instantly closed down the monitor and swiveled in his chair to face him. He kept a stoic face as he waited for a response. Lucas nodded his head but stayed positioned blocking the computer monitor waiting for Ben to leave.

Ben waited for a few more seconds and began to walk away, convinced that Lucas was not going to follow right behind her. Rather than he would come on his own time. Ben did not show any sign that he saw what Lucas was reading on the computer, yet he was very curious why he made such a big deal to hide it from him. 

Usually, he would let that go because Lucas was a trusted member of the team, but it was just over a year ago he was caught feeding information to the FSB about MI-5’s interception of a Russian submarine signal in British waters. It turned out to be a trap of his own making to turn Kechimov and foil a terrorist plot against the UK. But, no one knew what Lucas was up to until he was left with no choice but to tell Harry and Ros everything or risk going to prison.

Ben pushed his thoughts on the subject of Lucas while Ros updated the group about their meeting. Khordad only gave a sliver of information about an attack in London that would take place within a few days (or a few weeks). He would reveal the time and location later, but only when Harry performed a little task in good faith. Khordad left the meeting without giving any more details. Harry and Ros could only speculate what the task would be, or what target Al-Qaeda had in mind.

There was nothing more that the team could do except keep the surveillance on Khordad, and wait until he contacted them. Until then, the team was on standby.

Harry adjourned the meeting after Ros gave each of them their assignments. Lucas was the first to leave the conference room followed by Ben and the others. Ben watched Lucas as he hurried back to his computer to contemplate his next decision. He really did not know if Lucas was even up to anything, so going to Ros with what he suspected would only exacerbate things. He would have to keep an eye on his partner for the next few days. 

Ben returned to his own station and started making some phone calls. He glanced at Lucas periodically and watched from across the room.

The moment Lucas sat down at his computer, his mobile rang. It was Jack. Lucas knew that Nyssa and Jack were working a job of their own, so his first thought was that something may have happened with Nyssa. There was a slight hint of anxiety in his voice as he answered the call, hoping that he was wrong.

 _"You bloody bastard,"_ said Jack nearby shouting through the phone.  _"You forced me to lie to my best mate and partner. You've got a lot of explaining to do. We need to meet now."_

At first, Lucas was surprised by the tone. This was the first time he ever heard Jack be this angry. It made his own temper flare up before he took a breath to calm down. Whatever Jack was talking about would have to wait. He could not deal with it now.

“Jack, I'm in the middle of an operation. I can’t do this now,” he said.

_"I don't fucking care what you're doing. Find an excuse unless you want Nyssa to know who those people were that you met in the park."_

Lucas took another deep breath. Judging from the sound of Jack's tone, he knew that Jack was not bluffing. He would tell her. He would have no reason not to.

Lucas took a quick glance around the room and noticed that everyone had their focus on their own assignments. He could make an excuse and be back before anyone suspected anything.

They agreed to meet near the Millennium Bridge in one hour. Lucas pocketed the mobile in his coat and stood from his desk. He told Connie that he was following a lead he may have gotten from Elizabeta and headed for the pods as quick as he could. 

Ben watched from his desk and also grabbed his coat. He did not know why it bothered him so much, but he had to know what Lucas was up to. He did not really think that Lucas was selling out his country. But, whatever this was, he was going to need help. 


End file.
